Supercomputers and other large computer systems typically include a large number of computer cabinets arranged in close proximity to one another. FIG. 1, for example, illustrates a portion of a prior art supercomputer system 100 having a plurality of computer cabinets 110 arranged in a bank. The computer cabinets 110 are arranged in a bank to conserve floor space and increase computational speed by reducing cable lengths between cabinets. Each of the computer cabinets 110 includes a plurality of computer module compartments 118 (identified individually as a first module compartment 118a, a second module compartment 118b, and a third module compartment 118c). Each module compartment 118 holds a plurality of computer modules 112. Like the computer cabinets 110, the computer modules 112 are also positioned in close proximity to one another to conserve space and increase computational speed. Each of the computer modules 112 can include a motherboard electrically connecting a plurality of processors, memory modules, routers, and other microelectronic devices together for data and/or power transmission.
Many of the electronic devices typically found in supercomputers, such as fast processing devices, generate considerable heat during operation. This heat can damage the device and/or degrade performance if not dissipated during operation. Consequently, supercomputers typically include both active and passive cooling systems to maintain device temperatures at acceptable levels.
To dissipate heat generated by the computer modules 112, the prior art supercomputer system 100 further includes a plurality of fans 120 mounted to upper portions of corresponding computer cabinets 110. In operation, each of the fans 120 draws cooling air into the corresponding computer cabinet 110 through a front inlet 114 and/or a back inlet 115 positioned toward a bottom portion of the computer cabinet 110. The cooling air flows upwardly through the computer cabinet 110, past the computer modules 112, and into a central inlet 122 of the fans 120. The fans 120 then exhaust the cooling air outward in a radial pattern through a circumferential outlet 124.
The fans 120 may be unable to move a sufficient amount of air through the computer cabinet 110 for adequate cooling when the power consumption and the corresponding heat dissipation increase in the processors and/or other microelectronic devices carried by the computer modules 112. For example, as the power consumption of the processors increases, the computer modules 112 in the first module compartment 118a heat the incoming cooling air to a higher temperature. To compensate for the higher temperature of the cooling air entering the second module compartment 118b, conventional techniques use baffle plates (not shown) to direct more cooling air over the processors. This, however, can increase the pressure drop over the processors, for which the fans 120 may be unable to compensate. As a result, the cooling air flowing past the processors may be insufficient and cause overheating of the processors, and thus adversely affect performance of the computer system 100.